Student Complaints

2018-2019 Catalog

The College of Central Florida is committed to a policy of treating all students fairly. The intent of this rule is to provide a procedure whereby student complaints are processed promptly and resolved fairly.

For purposes of this rule, the term "student" includes applicants for admission to the college.

A student complaint may be any concern a student has about the college or its operations.

A complaint is defined as dissatisfaction that occurs when a student believes that any decision, act or condition affecting the student is illegal, unjust or creates unnecessary hardship. Complaints may include, but are not limited to, academic problems, mistreatment by a college employee, wrongful assessment of fees, records and registration errors, student employment, or any actual or perceived physical or verbal abuse or coercion, and disciplinary matters which are covered under the Code of Student Conduct, awarding of grades, disciplinary matters which are covered under the Student Athlete Code of Conduct. Complaints under this policy may also include allegations of discrimination, harassment and/or sexual harassment based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, marital status, national origin, genetic information or disability.

Students will be given adequate opportunity to bring complaints to the attention of the college with the assurance that the proper officials will promptly investigate the facts of the case and evaluate these facts in an objective manner.

Student problems should be resolved, whenever possible, before the filing of a formal, written complaint, and open communication is encouraged so that formal complaint procedures will not be necessary. Informal resolution of complaints may be pursued throughout the process. Confidentiality in the investigation and resolution of complaints is protected to the extent possible under state and federal laws.

Retaliation: It is a violation of this rule to retaliate or take reprisal against any person who has filed a complaint under this rule.

Reporting, Investigation, and Resolution: The procedure for reporting, investigating, and resolving violations of this rule can be found in the Administrative Procedures Manual.

College of Central Florida is committed to the fair resolution of student concerns. The purpose of this procedure is to outline the process for resolving issues of a general nature where a student has a concern about the college and its operations.

This procedure does not apply to complaints related to grades, complaints related to student conduct or complaints related to discrimination, harassment and/or sexual harassment based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, marital status, national origin, genetic information or disability.

Procedures for complaints related to grades are addressed under the administrative procedure for "Grade Appeals."

Procedures for complaints related to student conduct are addressed under the administrative procedure "Disciplinary Action and Rights of Appeal – Code of Student Conduct."

Definitions:

Complaint: A student complaint may be any concern a student has about the college and its operations. A complaint is defined as dissatisfaction that occurs when a student believes that any decision, act or condition affecting the student is illegal, unjust or creates unnecessary hardship. Complaints may include, but are not limited to, academic problems, mistreatment by a college employee, wrongful assessment of fees, records and registration errors, student employment, any actual or perceived physical or verbal abuse or coercion.

Complainant: Any student or applicant for admissions who presents a complaint under this procedure.

Respondent: The person who is alleged to have caused the complaint by identifiable acts of omission or commission.

Procedure: A student having a complaint shall follow the steps set forth below.

Lead Administrators:

Marion County: dean of Student Services, or designee.

Citrus County: vice president for Regional Campuses, or designee.

Levy County: provost, Levy Campus, or designee.

Informal: A student who has a complaint should report, verbally or in writing, his or her concerns to the lead administrator at the campus or site where the complaint occurred within 30 working days from the date the student becomes aware of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint. If the nature of the complaint involves the lead administrator, the student should report his or her complaint to the vice president for Student Affairs at the Ocala Campus. If the complaint involves the vice president for Student Affairs, then the student should meet with the equity officer. The lead administrator will attempt to resolve the complaint informally and may request the participation of other college personnel as appropriate in that informal resolution. If the complaint is resolved to mutual agreement of the lead administrator, the student, and any other parties concerned, the matter will be considered settled. The informal process should be concluded within 40 working days or less of receipt of the complaint, whenever possible. The investigating lead administrator will file a written report outlining the result of the informal complaint to all parties, the equity officer, and the president within 10 working days of the resolution of the complaint.

Formal/Appeal: If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the student may petition an appeal of the decision by submitting a formal written complaint with the vice president for Student Affairs at the Ocala Campus. The vice president for Student Affairs will serve as the lead administrator to investigate the petition. In the event that the complaint is against the vice president for Student Affairs, the student shall petition an appeal to the equity officer who will serve as the lead administrator to investigate the complaint. Written complaints must be filed within 10 working days after receipt of the informal report. The vice president for Student Affairs has 60 working days to complete the investigation of the complaint.

Upon receipt of the formal petition, the lead administrator shall:

Notify the president and the appropriate department administrator of the formal complaint.

Conduct a prompt and thorough investigation to determine the facts of the complaint. The lead administrator may request the participation of any College personnel determined to be necessary to resolve the complaint.

Maintain a record of the investigation and store in a secure area apart from student conduct files.

Meet individually with the parties involved to discuss the findings and provide a written summary of the overall findings.

File a written report with the president within 10 working days after the formal investigation is completed. The report shall (1) outline the investigative findings, and (2) indicate recommended resolution for the complaint.

The decision of the lead administrator shall be final.

Retaliation

It is a violation of college policy to retaliate or take reprisal against any person who has filed a complaint based on the fact that the person raised a complaint to any faculty, supervisor or manager of the college, to any dean, vice president, or administrator, to any other person, entity, or human rights agency.

A staff member who speaks Spanish is available to provide information and answer questions about grievance procedures at the College of Central Florida. Please call 352-873-5800 or email espanol@cf.edu.

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